Habitat for Humanity East Bay

Week 24

This was it… the final stretch!  Friday was to be our last work day at Bonifacio, and the focus was on getting ready for the dedication on Saturday morning.  Last week the inside of the house and the garage were cleaned/organized, and most of Habitat’s equipment and tools had been moved during the week to the Bay Point rehabs.  So our goal on Friday was to get the front and back yards company-ready!  

Mike and Hans’ to-do list sounded shorter than it turned out to be when Monica, Kathy, Deb J, Jennie G, Chris R, and Bobbie arrived.  The plan was to broaden the arc of the backyard granite path, add more decomposed granite to that area; cut and trim the front lawn; buy and plant colorful flowers in the landscape and in the pot for the front porch; buy and spread more bark in the front yard; repot the large jade plant that had been Clarise’s; and sweep the deck, driveway and walkways before we left.  Luckily, we had a BEAUTIFUL warm day to work outside… in the high 70’s!

Because all the current HEB rehabs have lawns (unlike new construction), renting a lawnmower whenever we need it isn’t cost efficient, so Hans bought one and brought it to Bonifacio for it’s maiden cut.  Monica was happy to take it for a spin around the yard, trimming the edges later in the day, and hanging a second WC banner over the deck for the dedication. Bobbie did a little more stucco patching on a back corner of the house, but she knew it wouldn’t dry in time to paint it before the dedication on Saturday.  Luckily, we’re leaving the leftover paint (exterior and interior) for the homeowners.  It looks like their to-do list has its first small item! (The backyard landscaping is on the Big Project List.)

Bobbie, Deb, and Chris dug out a broader arc for the granite path in the back (between the gate and the deck), put some bender board around the edge, and filled it with the newly-delivered decomposed granite.  Because the new granite was a little different than last week’s batch (had larger pieces mixed in), they also spread a thin layer of it over the whole backyard path area so that the difference wasn’t as apparent. 

Always looking for a good bargain, Jennie and Kathy headed to Home Depot for plants, a 2-for-1 sale on the bagged bark (26 bags!), and a few other gardening supplies.  They had a few worrisome moments when loading their loot into Jennie’s truck… 26 bags fills a pickup quickly, leaving little room for delicate flowers and a giant plastic pot… but they did get it all back in one trip.  After unloading everything and finishing the granite work, the whole crew took to planting two flats of marigolds (another 2-for-1 bargain!) and several other sun-loving annuals, repotting the jade, spreading bark, and trimming the yard.  Diane, who couldn’t come in the morning, joined us for lunch and an afternoon of planting.  We found a home for leftover marigolds in the back yard, brightening the corner just beyond the back gate and complementing the beautiful redbud tree in the center of the yard.  The pear tree got a mulch of donated cocoa bean shells.

As we left that last afternoon, we stood for a long while on the sidewalk, looking back at the house and front yard, remembering the “before,” and admiring the “after.”  But we had Saturday to look forward to, so we weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to Bonifacio yet!

Saturday dawned another beautiful day… PERFECT for dedicating a newly-refurbished house and handing the keys to an excited, young, hard-working family!  HEB staff was there early setting up benches and a coffee/bagel station in the back yard, a podium and speaker system on the deck, and a greeter’s table on the driveway.  Andrew G and Mike Connell were there taking photos and setting up to video the event.  Women’s Crew members, other Habitat volunteers, neighbors, friends of Clarise (the previous owner who willed this house to HEB), and even Clarise’s dog (who had been adopted by neighbors after her death) walked through the house admiring the changes and then gathered in the back yard waiting for the 10 a.m. ceremony to begin. 

Janice Jensen, HEB President and CEO, welcomed everyone and talked about Habitat East Bay’s mission and work.  Sue Howell, Donor Development Officer (and WC member), told us about the generous woman (Clarise Garrison) who believed in Habitat’s mission and left this house to HEB in her will.  Diane Agnone, one of the WC leaders, spoke about the Women’s Crew’s history and its sponsorship of this home.  She also noted that this project brought the Women’s Crew back to Contra Costa County, the first CCC project since Mt. Diablo Habitat’s merger with HEB in the spring of 2007.  Sue then introduced the family and told their story of legal immigration, schooling, current living conditions and employment.  She then invited Armando and Miriam to speak. 

In a gracious and heartfelt speech, Armando described how much it means to him and his sister to have had the opportunity to work on and buy this Habitat home and how thankful they are to HEB and to all the volunteers who worked on it.  Isabel Paez, HEB’s Homeowner Program Specialist, translated for Miriam as she issued multiple sincere thank-yous to HEB, the Women’s Crew, and all the other volunteers for their help in working on this home.

Lynn Larch, a friend of Clarise, talked about her friend’s interests and how happy she’d be to know that such a deserving family was about to move into her home.  She and three other friends of Clarise presented the house keys to the family.  Joyce Stratford and Monica Mack, the other two WC leaders, then presented Armando and Miriam with two traditional Habitat dedication items, a book of faith (in this case a Bible) and a hammer, representing home-ownership and the many sweat-equity hours they and their extended family put into this house. 

After lots of applause and smiles all around, the audience was asked to add any thoughts or relay any stories about the project, and several Women’s Crew members, never shy for long, did just that!  Diane mentioned that all the layers of paint we put on the walls has surely reduced its square footage!  Kathy talked about knees and feet breaking through the ceiling from the attic, creating an “opportunity” to learn to patch and texture.  Bobbie said she grew to know the attic and crawl space very well from all the time she spent there, but she learned a lot working on this, her first, Habitat project.  Working with Armando and Miriam and with the other volunteers was especially enjoyable, and it allowed her to see what a great organization Habitat is… she expects to volunteer for a long time!  Rae, another WC member working on her first house, seconded Bobbie’s thoughts! 

Joyce commented about the joys of home ownership… not having to worry about the rent going up or having to move because the house is being sold, and the joy of being able to paint the walls whatever color you choose! Monica noted what a blessing it was to work with the family and see the joy on their faces as they worked on their own home. She could see the love that this family and their friends share in how they all pulled together to help work the sweat equity hours and make this dream come true. She encouraged others to volunteer, promising that they’d get far more out of it than they put into it, and drawing another volunteer’s enthusiastic agreement.

As usual, the dedication ceremony ended on a happy and inspiring note, but there was another highlight coming! We were all treated to a wonderful Mexican lunch prepared and served by the extended Padilla family, some of whom we had worked with on the site. This gave us a chance to meet other members of their large family, too.

Early this coming week Hans will accompany Armando and Miriam for a final walk-through, offering information about the appliances and electrical and gas connections, answering questions, and making sure everything we intended to do is done and working well. The last of Habitat’s tools and supplies will be carted off to Bay Point rehab sites, leaving the garage empty at last. Armando, Miriam, and little Alejandro will move in soon after, filling the Bonifacio house with the “stuff” of everyday life but, more importantly, with the love, laughter, and caring that will make it their Home. We wish them a world of joy there for many years to come!

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Sue Howell
Posts: 3

Blogging At Its Best!
Reply #4 on : Mon March 29, 2010, 14:35:52

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Several months ago when we were hoping to find someone willing to chronicle the weekly progress on this Concord rehab sponsored by the All Women's Crew, a single hand was raised. Kathy Schmitz said she had never done a blog but would give it a whirl. And what a "whirl" it turned out to be!

Thanks, Kathy, for bringing to life in an eloquent and whimsical way each week's activities on Bonifacio Street. After a much-deserved rest, we hope you will consider writing another blog when the Habitat East Bay All Women's Crew moves on to Bay Point's El Rincon Development later this summer. This was truly BLOGGING AT ITS BEST!

Sue Howell
Habitat East Bay Donor Development Officer

Anonymous
Posts: 3

Re:
Reply #3 on : Thu March 25, 2010, 17:29:35

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Kathy,

You always spoke so beautifully when you reported on each workday at Bonifacio, and when reading the blog, your words made it easy to relive the moments that I and the rest of the Women's Crew enjoyed these past 8 months.

Thank you for a job well-done!

Diane Agnone

Monica Mack
Posts: 3

Great Job Kathy
Reply #2 on : Wed March 24, 2010, 13:51:09

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Kathy, great job on the blog. Thank you for the many hours you have put into this which allows all of us to relive the moments and allows others to see the progress and what fun working with Habitat for Humanity can be.
I'm going to miss this sort of reporting for future projects, but I know you're looking forward to the break! Thank you again...well done.

admin
Posts: 1

Alriiiiiight!!!
Reply #1 on : Wed March 24, 2010, 13:09:36

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Congratulations to everyone that helped make this house a home for the Padillas! This blog was great!